The Dallas Wings will reportedly announce Jose Fernandez as their new head coach Friday, according to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.
Fernandez, 53, has spent the past 25 years in charge of the University of South Florida women’s program. On Thursday, the school announced Fernandez had informed the Bulls he would be leaving for an opportunity in the WNBA.
SB Nation was the first to report Fernandez’s move.
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The Wings fired head coach Chris Koclanes last month after the team finished 10-34 following the addition of No. 1 overall draft pick Paige Bueckers. Dallas currently owns the top odds in the 2026 WNBA Draft lottery.
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Fernandez was reportedly a finalist in the Wings’ coaching search last year before hiring Koclanes.
Since Nov. 2000, Fernandez had coached the University of South Florida women’s basketball team. He led the Bulls to 10 NCAA tournament appearances, a WNIT title in 2009 and two American Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships. A two-time AAC coach of the year, he leaves as the program’s all-time winningest coach with a 485–317 career record.
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Fernandez will be the Wings’ fifth coach in the past eight seasons, with no hires since 2018 lasting more than two years.
The Wings have missed the playoffs in each of the past two seasons and have advanced out of the first round only once since 2009 when they were the Detroit Shock.
Now that the Wings have their coach it leaves the New York Liberty and Seattle Storm as the remaining two openings in the WNBA.
